1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a paper feeding device in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, and more particularly, to a paper feeding device having a pullout type paper feeding deck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been conventionally known a paper feeding device 200 provided side by side with a main unit of a copying machine 100 and having a plurality of pullout type paper feeding decks 201, as shown in FIG. 6. A lot of recording paper sheets are laminated and mounted on an up-and-down tray 202 in each of the paper feeding decks 201. Each of the paper feeding decks 201 moves back and forth and is provided with a width aligning guide 203 sliding in the direction in which the paper feeding deck 201 moves so as to position the recording paper sheets.
In order to contain the recording paper sheets in the paper feeding deck 201, the paper feeding deck 201 is first pulled out of the paper feeding device 200 and then, the position of the width aligning guide 203 is adjusted depending on the size of the recording paper sheets. The recording paper sheets are then mounted on the up-and-down tray 202, as shown in FIG. 7. The paper feeding deck 201 is pushed into the paper feeding device 200 to be returned to the normal position.
When the paper feeding deck 201 is returned to the normal position, however, the width aligning guide 203 is made to flex, as shown in FIG. 8, due to the shock and the weight of the recording paper sheets, so that the recording paper sheets are not precisely positioned in the paper feeding position.
A reinforcing member corresponding to the size of the recording paper sheets has been conventionally fitted between the width aligning guide 203 and a back plate 204 at the rear thereof.
The conventional method of fitting the reinforcing member corresponding to the size of the recording paper sheets between the width aligning guide 203 and the back plate 204 at the rear thereof has the disadvantage of being laborious because the reinforcing member must be replaced every time the size of recording paper sheets is altered. In addition, it has the disadvantage in that reinforcing members of a plurality of types of sizes must be prepared corresponding to the sizes of the recording paper sheets, so that it is not easy to store the reinforcing members.